16-20 Kickass Random Facts
16. Joseph Stalin was originally trained as a priest in an Orthodox Spiritual Seminary. He at first achieved high grades, but later lost interest, declaring himself an atheist. He was known to stalk out of prayers, refuse to doff his hat to monks, and was confined to a cell for his rebellious behavior. – Source
17. While 4-8% of people have at least one food allergy, a large proportion of people in developed countries believe they have food allergies when they actually do not have them. – Source
18. The esteemed Swedish university, Lund University, had its Facebook admin put out a statement requesting Indians not to make fun of the university in the comment sections, because “Lund” translates to “penis” in Hindi. – Source
19. Metal blade of a Guillotine weighs about 88.2 lbs. – Source
20. The Chimney Sweepers Act of 1788 was a British Act of Parliament passed to stop child labor, as boys as young as four were being used as chimney sweeps. The Act raised the minimum age to eight years old. – Source
21-25 Kickass Random Facts
21. Sugar can be dangerously explosive. In 2008, 14 people died and 40 were injured when sugar dust combusted at Imperial Sugar’s refinery in Georgia. A U.S. Chemical Safety Board report found the explosion was entirely preventable. The sugar industry has been aware of explosion risks since 1926. – Source
22. The birth of JFK’s sister Rosemary in 1918 was complicated by medical resources focused elsewhere during a pandemic. A nurse, trying to delay delivery for a doctor, held her mother’s legs closed. When that failed, she reached into the birth canal and held Rosemary’s head in place for two hours. – Source
23. Nearly half of the world’s twins are born in Africa. The small West African nation of Benin has the highest concentration of twins in the world while Japan has the lowest rate of twinning. – Source
24. Johann Sebastian Bach had 20 children. The family spawned 50 musicians and several notable composers: Johannes (a piper), Christoph (an instrumentalist), Johann Ambrosius (a violinist), and Veit (a white bread baker whose greatest pleasure was playing the Cittern). – Source
25. Jean-Paul Sartre, Nobel prize-winning philosopher, suffered a bad trip after using Mescaline, in which he thought he was menaced by sea creatures. For years following this, he consistently believed that he was being followed by lobsters. – Source
